Transport packaging for an annular bearing part, packaging unit having the same and method for packaging an annular bearing part

ABSTRACT

Transport packaging for receiving at least one annular bearing part, the transport packaging including a base, at least one wall and a plurality of bars for supporting the annular bearing part on the base and a plurality of plastically deformable blocks associated with the plurality of bars and configured to deform under the influence of the annular bearing part and form an interference fit with the annular bearing part to fix the annular bearing part against sliding movement parallel to the base.

The invention relates to a transport packaging for an annular bearing part. Furthermore, the invention relates to a packaging unit including such a transport packaging and an annular bearing part as well as a method for packaging an annular bearing part.

Depending on weight, large rolling-element- or sliding-bearings, for example, in the meter-diameter range, are delivered differently than the small bearings usually delivered in cardboard boxes, as a rule in wooden crates. Here a square wooden crate is loaded with a single bearing, which is located lying therein, i.e., with vertical axis.

Such wooden crates are also used before the completion of the entire bearing, for example, to transport the bearing rings for coating or other operations. Here a single inner- or outer-ring can lie in the crate, or the inner ring lies in the associated outer ring and thus a ring pair in the same crate.

It is necessary to secure the bearing rings or bearing rings against slipping in the crate, since otherwise damage can occur during transport to both the contents and the crate itself. With a bearing ring pair, opposite-side metal-contact should not occur, since otherwise scratches and impact marks occur. A bearing ring should not move back and forth, since otherwise it receives scratches and smooth tracks. A bearing ring should also have no movement- and acceleration-possibility towards the crate side-wall, since it could otherwise penetrate it.

It is also necessary to hold bearing rings or bearings at a distance to the crate floor in order to be able to pull through hoisting straps under the bearing ring or the bearing for removal.

Conventional solutions thus provide that a diagonal, possibly felt-coated wooden crossbar is screwed on the crate bottom, onto which the bearing ring or the bearing is placed in order to ensure the required distance from the crate bottom.

In some embodiments tension belts are then placed around the bearing so that the bearing can be fixed on the wooden crossbar in a slip-free manner. This requires very stable holding points with altogether increased packaging costs. The closures of the belt represent a damage risk for the rings in handling. The separate attaching of outer- and inner-ring is usually not possible due to space reasons.

In other embodiments, wooden or plastic blocks are screwed onto the wooden crossbar as tabs, which serve as horizontal stops for the bearing rings. Since per bearing ring at least eight blocks, each having two screws, are used, which are to be removed with each removal, the expense in using as a transport crate between individual processing steps is high given the possibility of loss of individual parts, and the wood threads here tend to increasing loss of their stability. Loose wood splinters are often observed at the screwing regions. For quality reasons the state of the attachments after multiple in-factory use does not always allow the same crate to be passed on to the end customer as packaging, which would, however, be the most resource-saving solution. It can also be that the complete bearing again requires different attachment points than the individual rings, and some screw holes needed for the in-factory ring transport are no longer needed for the final packaging and are exposed in an unsightly manner. Since the positions of the blocks are to be chosen differently per bearing-ring-/bearing-type and -size, a type-specific positioning associated with time consumption is also required.

Nowadays the blocks mentioned are mainly manufactured from plastic and no longer from wood. Wooden blocks can be split by the long screws. In addition, the screws can be bent due to the resilience of the wooden blocks. A multiple use of the wooden blocks is associated with a loss in quality and therefore only possible to a limited extent. Due to an incomplete return of packaging material and the used state often found of the plastic blocks, these quite heavy and large injection-molded parts, with 8 pieces per crate, are often already to be disposed of after a single use of the final packaging. In addition, known wooden- or plastic-blocks as stops have the disadvantage that they form a linear contact to the bearing ring. This can lead to scratches and tracks, in particular if the bearing ring includes a coating such as a black oxidation or a phosphate-coating.

The object of the invention is to design a transport packaging for annular bearing parts such that it can be realized in a simple and cost-effective manner, in particular with respect to its internal structure, that an uncomplicated handling is possible, and that a reliable fixing of the annular bearing parts is ensured.

This object is achieved by the combination of features of the independent claims.

The inventive transport packaging for receiving at least one annular bearing part includes a plurality of bars for supporting the annular bearing part and a plurality of blocks, plastically deformable by the influence of the annular bearing part, for interference-fit fixing of the annular bearing part.

The inventive transport packaging has the advantage that it can be realized in a cost-effective manner, can be handled very simply and flexibly, and ensures a gentle and reliable fixing of the annular bearing parts. The risk of transport damage is considerably reduced by the inventive transport packaging. Due to the plastic deformability of the blocks a very precise molding of the annular bearing part into the blocks is ensured. Compared to a known transport packaging including a diagonal wooden crossbar along the entire diagonal length, wood is saved, although twice the number of support points are provided for the annular bearing part, for example, eight instead of four pieces. In the inventive transport packaging there is no waste in the form of unusable wooden crates and screws, rather at most the blocks are to be disposed of.

The bars can serve for fixing the vertical position of the annular bearing part. The blocks can be compressible up to the level of the bars.

Furthermore, the blocks can be compressible in areas, in particular in the area of the annular bearing part.

The annular bearing part can be a bearing ring of a bearing. The annular bearing part can also be a complete bearing. The bearing can be designed as a rolling-element bearing or as a sliding bearing.

The blocks can be fixed by the bars. In particular, each block can be clamped between two bars. This makes possible an easy replaceability of the blocks without a tool.

Furthermore, the blocks can protrude over the bars. In this way it is ensured that the annular bearing part is molded into the blocks when placed onto the bars.

The blocks can be manufactured from a hard foam material. This has the advantage that after transport no tracks or even damage on the annular bearing part caused by the transport packaging is to be observed. In particular, the blocks can be manufactured from polyurethane foam. In contrast to elastic foams, sharp-edged impressions with corresponding vertical support surfaces are thereby generated around the annular bearing part. Such a foam material also has a high load bearing capacity. Further advantages consist in that the material weight of the hard foam material is very low, the material is highly compressible, and its disposal is not dangerous to the environment.

The density of the hard foam material can be matched to the weight of the annular bearing part. This makes possible an always-optimal molding behavior. The foam material can be differently colored depending on its density. Confusion can thereby be reliably prevented.

The blocks can be encased in a film. This has the advantage that the annular bearing part is reliably shielded from the material of the blocks. The storage and handling of the blocks can also be designed more flexible, since a release of particles need not be taken into account. The film can be a plastic film, in particular a polyethylene film. A low-density polyethylene film (PE-LD) is preferably used. The thickness of the film can be at most 50 μm. A low thickness is of significance to the extent that the film should participate in the deforming of the block without too great resistance.

The inventive transport packaging can include a base and a plurality of lateral walls. The lateral walls can be directly connected to the base. Furthermore, the bars can be fixedly connected to the base and/or the lateral walls. A high stability is thereby achieved. The connection can respectively be interference-fit, in particular by screwing. The bars can each rest on the base and/or abut a lateral wall. The longitudinal extension of the bars can be less than half the distance to the opposite lateral wall. This makes possible a savings of material without loss with respect to the support surface of the annular bearing part. The blocks can rest on the base and/or abut on a lateral wall. The base and/or the lateral walls and/or the bars can be manufactured from wood.

The bars can include an overlay made from a soft material, for example made from felt. Damage to the annular bearing part can thereby be avoided.

The inventive packaging unit includes an inventive transport packaging and an annular bearing part, which is plastically molded into the blocks.

In the inventive method for packaging an annular bearing part, the annular bearing part is lowered into a transport packaging until it rests on a plurality of bars. During the lowering the annular bearing part is plastically molded into a plurality of blocks of the transport packaging and thereby fixed in an interference-fit manner transverse to the direction of molding.

The inventive method has the advantage that no type-specific adjusting or preparing is necessary for the packaging process. The individualizing of the transport packaging to a specific annular bearing part is automatically effected during the packaging by the molding of the bearing into the blocks. Even if a centered inserting of the bearing part into the transport packaging is preferred, a deviation from an exact centering has no overly negative effects, since due to the molding of the annular bearing part into the blocks a secure seat of the annular bearing part in the transport packaging is ensured even then.

Due to the lowering of the annular bearing part onto the bars the vertical position of the annular bearing part can be fixed. The blocks can be compressed up to the level of the bars. Furthermore, the blocks can be compressed in areas, in particular in the area of the annular bearing part.

The blocks can be deformed in the radial area of the annular bearing part and retain their shape radially inside as well as radially outside the annular bearing part.

In particular, the blocks can be deformed by the weight of the annular bearing part. The deforming can be supported by an additional pressing pressure exerted on the annular bearing part. This can be of particular advantage if the blocks are not so greatly deformed by the weight of the bearing that an additional supporting of the annular bearing part on the bars is ensured or if the deforming process would otherwise take too long a time.

In a further use of the transport packaging the blocks can be replaced. The other components of the transport packaging can be retained. In this way a like-new state of the transport packaging, at least in technical terms, of the transport packaging can be produced by a comparatively low material usage. It is also possible to retain the blocks in a further use of the transport packaging. In this case it can be provided that the blocks are rotated. It is thereby achieved that the annular bearing parts mold into the blocks again. Particularly many rotation variants can be achieved with cubic blocks. In particular, the blocks are retained during the use of the transport packaging in the context of the manufacturing process of the annular bearing part and replaced when shipping to the customer.

The invention is explained in the following based on the exemplary embodiment depicted in the figures.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an inventively configured transport packaging in plan view,

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged detail from FIG. 1 in the region of a bar-pair,

FIG. 3 shows the detail depicted in FIG. 2 in sectional view, and

FIG. 4 shows a perspective depiction of a detail of the transport packaging.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an inventively configured transport packaging 1 in detail.

In the example depicted the transport packaging 1 is loaded with an annular bearing part 2, which is configured as a bearing ring. The bearing ring can be an inner ring or an outer ring of a rolling-element bearing or a sliding bearing. Furthermore, the annular bearing part 2 can be a bearing, which can be configured as a rolling-element bearing or sliding bearing and has an inner ring and an outer ring. The transport packaging 1 can also be loaded with a plurality of annular bearing parts 2, for example, an outer ring and an inner ring, which are disposed concentric to one another,

The transport packaging 1 is configured as a crate, in particular a wooden crate, and includes a square-configured base 3, four rectangular-configured lateral walls 4 and a not-figuratively depicted cover, which agrees with the base 3 in terms of its shape. The base 3, the side walls 4, and the cover can each be comprised of one or more planks or plywood panels.

Four pairs of bars 5 are disposed on the base 3 such that they each abut on one of the lateral walls 4. The bars 5 of each pair are disposed parallel at a distance to each other. In the intermediate space thereby resulting between the bars 5 of each bar-pair a block 6 is respectively disposed such that it rests on the base 3 and abuts on one of the lateral walls 4. The blocks 6 are each clamped between the bars 5 of a bar-pair and thereby fixed. The blocks 6 are each centrally disposed with respect to the extension of the lateral walls 4 parallel to the base 3.

The bars 5 can in particular be manufactured from wood and include on their top side a not-figuratively-depicted overlay made from felt or a similar material. The blocks 6 can be manufactured from a hard foam material and be covered on all sides by a plastic film. In particular, the blocks 6 can be wrapped in the film. A non-corrosive and preserving-oil-resistant polyurethane foam is suitable as hard foam material. The plastic film can be, for example, a 25-μm-thick polyethylene film. In particular, a PE-LD film, i.e., a low-density (low density) polyethylene film is used.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged detail from FIG. 1 in the region of the bar-pair. FIG. 3 shows an associated sectional view, wherein the section plane extends parallel to the bars 5.

As is apparent from FIGS. 2 and 3, the bars 5 are attached to the base 3 using two base screws each and to one of the lateral walls 4 using one first lateral-wall screw 8 each. Furthermore, the lateral walls are each attached to the base 3 in the region of each bar 5 by a second lateral-wall screw 9. The stability of the transport packaging 1 is increased by further second lateral-wall screws 9, using which the lateral walls 4 are attached to the base 3 and which are not visible in FIGS. 2 and 3. The screws can in particular be wood screws.

The first lateral-wall screws 8 and the base screws 7 additionally connect the lateral walls 4 to the base 3 via the bars 5 directly in the load application area and reduce the lever arm by which a bearing part 2 accelerated parallel to the base 3 acts on the connection between lateral wall 4 and base 3.

The annular bearing part 2 rests on all of the bars 5 and blocks 6, wherein the bars 5 fix the vertical position of the annular bearing part 2. In the region of the annular bearing part 2 the blocks 6 are compressed by its weight, and optionally a temporarily exerted additional pressing force, up to the level of the bars 5. However, this applies only for the regions of the blocks 6 where the annular bearing part 2 rests on the blocks 6. Outside these regions the blocks 6 are not compressed by the bearing part 2 and protrude over the bars 5. Thus the regions of the blocks 6 lateral to the annular bearing part 2 overlap with the annular bearing part 2 in a direction perpendicular to the base 3 and thereby fix the annular bearing part 2 in an interference-fit manner in all directions that extend parallel to the base 3. Here the blocks 6 themselves are held by the bars 5, the lateral walls 4, and the base 3. Displacing forces of the annular bearing part 2 directed to one of the lateral walls 4 are supported by the respective block 6 against the respective lateral wall 4, which in the load application area is screwed to the bars 5 and the base 3.

The packaging of an annular bearing part 2 using the inventive transport packaging can be carried out as follows:

If the transport packaging 1 is provided in the closed state, i.e., with mounted cover, the transport packaging 1 is opened by removing the cover, which can be fixed to the lateral walls 4, for example, using clips. If the transport packaging 1 is not yet equipped with blocks, four blocks 6 are respectively individually clamped between two adjacent bars 5 such that they rest on the base 3 and abut on one of the lateral walls 4. If new, i.e., not yet used up to now, blocks 6 are used, these have a cuboid shape and protrude over the bars 5.

When this preparatory work has been completed, the annular bearing part 2 is inserted in as centered a manner as possible into the transport packaging 1. Since the blocks 6 protrude over the bars 5, when being lowered into the transport packaging 1 the annular bearing part 2 initially exclusively contacts the blocks 6, which are pressed-in in an increasingly local and sharp-edged manner by the weight of the annular bearing part 2 and optionally by an additional pressing force. Here there is a plastic deforming of the blocks 6, which is almost exclusively limited to the region of the contact surface to the annular bearing part 2, i.e. the shape of the annular bearing part 2 is plastically molded into the blocks 6. Laterally adjacent to the annular bearing part 2 the blocks 6 are not deformed. The film, which encloses the blocks 6, is expandable and participates without tearing in the deforming of the blocks 6 during pressing-in of the annular bearing part 2. The film prevents material dust arising from deforming of the blocks 6 from reaching the annular bearing part 2. Since the material dust is neither corrosive nor of objectionable hardness, in principle the film can be omitted, however, it serves to maintain workpiece cleanliness.

The lowering of the annular bearing part 2 is continued until it abuts on the bars 5 and then stably rests on the bars 5 and the blocks 6 and is laterally partially enclosed by material of the blocks 6. The annular bearing part 2 is thus securely fixed for transport, and the transport packaging 1 can be closed by placing and attaching the cover.

In cases wherein anyhow the base 3 of the transport packaging 1 is lined with a PE film of smaller than 50 μm thickness to collect preserving oil and/or to hold the annular bearing part 2, or to protect the annular bearing part 2 from environmental influences, the described procedure can be modified as follows:

After inserting of the blocks 6 into the transport packaging 1, the film is laid on the base 3 such that the blocks 6 are also covered. An additional protection of the annular bearing part 2 against possibly arising particles of the blocks 6 is thereby ensured, so that the blocks themselves need not necessarily be wrapped.

To remove the annular bearing part 2 from the transport packaging 1 the cover is removed from the transport packaging 1 and the annular bearing part 2 is lifted perpendicularly to the base 3 and removed from the transport packaging 1. The deformation of the blocks 6 generated by the annular bearing part 2 remains nearly unchanged after the removal of the annular bearing part 2. The blocks 6 do not clamp on the annular bearing part 2 and remain in the transport packaging 1. For the further use of the transport packaging 1 the blocks 6 can remain in the transport packaging 1 or be removed and replaced by new blocks 6. This is explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective depiction of a detail of the transport packaging 1. The depicted region comprises a block 6 and the associated bars 5 as well as adjacent regions of the base 3 and a lateral wall 4.

The depiction refers to a point in time after the removal of the annular bearing part 2 from the transport packaging 1. Accordingly the block 6 includes a clear impression 10 of the annular bearing part 2. Despite the impression 10, in principle it is possible to use the block 6 again in unchanged position. This is possible in particular if the further use is provided for an annular bearing part 2 of identical size. Then an identical impression 10 would arise again anyway. However, with a multiple use of the block 6 an increasingly looser seat of the annular bearing part 2 in the transport packaging 1 can result, since the impression 10 tends to increase with multiple use of the block 6. This can be caused, for example, by positioning inaccuracies when inserting the annular bearing part 2 into the transport packaging 1. It is also possible to use the same block 6 in unchanged position for an annular bearing part 2 that causes a greater impression 10, which completely comprises the existing impression 10. According to a further procedure, the block 6 is changed in its position before a repeated use. For this purpose the block 6 can be rotated, for example, by 90° or 180° about an axis extending parallel or perpendicular to the base 3. In this way it is achieved that during inserting of the annular bearing part 2 into the transport packaging 1, new material of the block 6 is pressed-in and a tight seat of the annular bearing part 2 is thereby achieved. Under the condition that a new impression 10 is always to be formed, a cuboid block 6 having exclusively non-square faces can be used twice. If the annular bearing part 2 is pressed-in into the block 6 in a strongly off-center manner, the block 6 can be used four times. In an analogous manner a cuboid block 6 having two square faces can be used four or 8 times. A cubic block 6 can be used six or twelve times.

A reuse of the blocks 6 is recommended in particular for transport processes in the context of the manufacturing process of the annular bearing part 2, e.g., for transport to a black-oxidation plant.

A particularly tight seat of the annular bearing part 2 in the transport packaging 1 is achieved if the blocks 6 are each used only once and replaced prior to the inserting of the annular bearing part 2 into the transport packaging 1. This is indicated in FIG. 4 by the further block 6 above the transport packaging 1. This further block 6 is still unused and accordingly has no impression 10. After the removal of the used block 6, the further block 6 is inserted into the intermediate space between the depicted bars 5 and clamped there. A replacing of the blocks 6 is recommended in particular when delivering the finished annular bearing part 2. The transport packaging 1 can be placed in a like-new condition by the replacing of the blocks 6 before the delivery.

Since the blocks 6 are only inserted, a manual replacing without tool is possible at any time. It is also possible to retrofit a used transport packaging 1 for another annular bearing part 2 or another type or another size of the annular bearing part 2 such that the four blocks 6 are replaced. Thus no type-specific attachment-features and -residues of the previous use remain.

If a plurality of annular bearing parts 2, for example, an inner ring and an outer ring placed one-inside-the-other are transported in a common transport packaging 1, these must be inserted centered or at least spaced from one another. Both of their contours press-in into the four blocks 6 and a not-pressed-in bridge respectively remains between the annular bearing parts 2 and prevents metal-contact from being able to occur between the annular bearing parts 2 during transport. The foam sheets required in conventional transport packaging and manually inserted between the annular bearing parts 2 are thus omitted.

For particularly heavy annular bearing parts 2 it can be provided to provide double the number of blocks 6 per transport packaging 1. Then uniform block dimensions are nonetheless possible, only the numbers between the bars 5 then standing farther apart would be doubled.

In addition, in the manufacturing of the blocks 6 it is possible to foam the polyurethane foam in the density suited to certain weight classes of annular bearing parts 2. Denser foams have a higher load-bearing capacity and thus a better stability with horizontal force application via the annular bearing part 2, but are also more difficult to press-in. The different densities can be identified by different foam colors.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

-   1 Transport packaging -   2 Bearing part -   3 Base -   4 Lateral wall -   5 Bar -   6 Block -   7 Base screw -   8 First lateral-wall screw -   9 Second lateral-wall screw -   10 Impression 

1. Transport packaging for receiving at least one annular bearing part, the transport packaging including a base, at least one wall and a plurality of bars for supporting the annular bearing part on the base and a plurality of plastically deformable blocks associated with the plurality of bars and configured to deform under the influence of the annular bearing part and form an interference fit with the annular bearing part to fix the annular bearing part against movement parallel to the base.
 2. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein the blocks are fixed relative to the base by the bars.
 3. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein a top surface of one of the blocks is spaced a greater distance from the base than a top surface of the bars.
 4. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein the blocks are manufactured from a hard foam material.
 5. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein the blocks are manufactured from polyurethane foam.
 6. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein the blocks are encased in a film.
 7. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein the blocks are encased in a polyethylene film.
 8. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein the bars include an overlay made from a soft material.
 9. A packaging unit including the transport packaging according to claim 1 and an annular bearing part plastically molded into the blocks.
 10. A method for packaging an annular bearing part, wherein the annular bearing part is lowered into a transport packaging until it rests on a plurality of bars and during the lowering is plastically molded into a plurality of blocks of the transport packaging and is thereby fixed in an interference-fit manner transverse to the direction of lowering.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the blocks are deformed in the radial region of the annular bearing part and retain their shape radially inside and radially outside the annular bearing part.
 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the blocks are deformed by the weight of the annular bearing part.
 13. The method according to claim 10, including removing the annular bearing part, replacing the plurality of blocks with another plurality of blocks without replacing the plurality of bars and lowering another annular bearing part into the transport packaging until it rests on the plurality of bars and is plastically molded into the another plurality of blocks.
 14. The transport packaging according to claim 1, wherein the blocks are fixed relative to the base by the bars; wherein a top surface of the blocks is spaced a greater distance from the base than a top surface of the bars, wherein the blocks are manufactured from a polyurethane foam encased in a polyurethane film, and wherein the bars include an overlay made from a soft material.
 15. Transport packaging for receiving at least one annular bearing part, the transport packaging comprising: a base; at least one wall extending from the base; at least one bar mounted on the base at the at least one wall, the at least one bar having a first height relative to the base and being configured to support the annular bearing part on the base; and at least one hard foam block releasably held in position relative to the at least one wall by the at least one bar, the at least one hard foam block having a second height relative to the base greater than the first height, the at least one hard foam block being configured to irreversibly deform under a weight of the at least one annular bearing part such that the at least one bearing part comes to rest on the at least one bar when placed on the at least one hard foam block while being retained by the at least one hard foam block in a direction parallel to the base.
 16. The transport packaging according to claim 15, wherein the at least one bar comprises pairs of bars separated by a space, and wherein the at least one hard foam block comprises one of the at least one hard foam block between the bars of each of the pairs of bars.
 17. The transport packaging according to claim 16, wherein each of the at least one hard foam block is coated with a film.
 18. A packaging unit comprising the transport packaging according to claim 15 and the at least one annular bearing part, the at least one annular bearing part being supported on the base by the at least one bar in a channel formed in the at least one block, wherein the annular bearing part forms an interference fit with the channel.
 19. A packaging method comprising: providing the transport packaging according to claim 15; placing the annular bearing part onto a top surface of the at least one block; and allowing the annular bearing part to sink into the at least one block until it comes to rest on a top surface of the at least one bar.
 20. A packaging method comprising: providing the transport packaging according to claim 15; placing the annular bearing part onto a top surface of the at least one block; and pressing the annular bearing part into the at least one block until it comes to rest on a top surface of the at least one bar. 